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Recommendation to receive supporting documentation into the record, conclude the public hearing, and adopt resolution approving the draft Downtown and Transit-Oriented Development Pedestrian Master Plan as a technical appendix to the Mobility Element of the Long Beach General Plan; and
Adopt the Negative Declaration ND-1-16. (Districts 1,2,6,7)
DISCUSSION
On July 23, 2013, the City Council authorized the City Manager to accept a Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Planning Grant award from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) for the preparation of the Downtown and Transit-Oriented Development Pedestrian Master Plan (Plan). The goal of the grant program is to create a framework to achieve new public and private investment around Metro light rail stations; support increased walking and transit use as an appealing alternative to automobile travel; and, improve economic conditions for residents of the community by enhancing access to jobs and services.
The goal of the Plan (Exhibit A to the Resolution) is to reduce barriers and increase access to, and around, the eight Metro Blue Line stations in Long Beach. The Plan was prepared to implement multi-modal policies related to increased transit use contained within the Mobility Element of the Long Beach General Plan. As such, once adopted, the Plan will serve as a technical appendix to the Mobility Element, and changes to the projects and programs in the Plan will not require amending the General Plan.
The Plan is an implementation-oriented document and contains a menu of pedestrian treatments and a prioritized list of 33 pedestrian improvement projects. The menu of pedestrian treatments includes a variety of “quicker, faster and cheaper” pedestrian infrastructure treatments, best practices from other cities, cost estimates, and design guidelines that can be used by City staff.
The top 14 high-priority pedestrian improvement projects in the Plan represent $71 million in ...
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